Affordable Housing Linkage Fee

As a point of reference during the February 23, 2017, meeting of the City Planning Commission (CPC), the following changes were made to the Department’s draft ordinance:

· Effective date: The effective date for the Linkage Fee was extended from 90 days to 180 days after adoption.

· Exemption for nonresidential: The threshold for exemption was reduced from 25,000 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft. A provision was removed which exempted any ground floor nonresidential floor area required through zoning ordinance, Specific Plan, Community Plan, Pedestrian Overlay Zone, or other City policy.

· Multiple-dwelling building with 5 or fewer units: The exemption was replaced with a requirement that multi-family projects with 5 or fewer units pay a fee amount of $1 per square foot.

· Exemption for governmental or institutional projects: This exemption was clarified to specify: “Any Development Project being constructed by a government or public institution….” and include language to exempt private K-12 schools “which do not discriminate.”

· Single-family thresholds: The threshold for an exemption for additions, new construction, and replacement of single-family detached homes was reduced from 2,000 sq. ft. to 1,500 sq. ft.

· Exemption for grocery stores: The exemption was refined to apply only to grocery stores which are not located within ⅓ mile of an existing grocery store use, rather than to all grocery stores.

· Mixed Use Deduction: The amount of floor area of nonresidential use in a mixed-use building that is deducted from the fee amount was reduced from 25,000 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft.

· Fee Calculation: For residential uses, the Linkage Fee shall be calculated based on the total floor area of the project, rather than excluding common areas.

Have further questions? Contact the Neighborhood Liaison using the information below.